USS Albuquerque arrives in Bremerton for inactivation

The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Albuquerque (SSN 706) arrived at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility to commence the inactivation and decommissioning process, Oct. 28.

November 5, 2015 1:49 pm
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The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Albuquerque (SSN 706) arrives at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility Oct. 28 to commence its inactivation process. Albuquerque deployed 19 times
The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Albuquerque (SSN 706) arrives at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility Oct. 28 to commence its inactivation process. Albuquerque deployed 19 times

By Petty Officer 2nd Class Amanda Gray

BREMERTON — The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Albuquerque (SSN 706) arrived at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility to commence the inactivation and decommissioning process, Oct. 28.

An inactivation ceremony was held in San Diego to honor the boat’s 32 years of service on Oct. 16. During the ship’s life, Albuquerque deployed 19 times, visited over 20 countries and steamed over 500,000 miles.

“The ship’s success is directly attributable to a cohesive crew that, through the years, has maintained a ‘can-do’ attitude,” said Cmdr. Don Tenney, Albuquerque’s commanding officer. “I am exceptionally proud of the crew who just completed a six-month WESTPAC deployment and immediately turned to the business of moving the ship and their families to Bremerton, and started preparing the ship for decommissioning.”

Albuquerque completed its final six-month deployment Aug. 21, which was followed by a change of command where Tenney relieved Cmdr. Trent Hesslink.

“USS Albuquerque has a rich history that includes highly successful missions in both war and peace,” Tenney said. “She is known as the ‘Sure Shooter’ of the fleet because of her 100-percent success rate on Tomahawk missions during the Kosovo conflict in 1999.”

During the inactivation process, the submarine will be de-fueled, with the hull retained in safe storage until decommissioning. Albuquerque is scheduled to decommission in 2016.

“We view the decommissioning as our next mission and are determined to execute it with the precision and thoroughness that are the hallmarks of the submarine force,” Tenney said. “We understand that our success here is critical, so we can make our highly trained sailors available to newer ships in the fleet.”

Albuquerque was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Albuquerque, New Mexico. The keel was laid by the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics in Groton, Connecticut, Dec. 27, 1979. The boat was launched March 13, 1982, and commissioned May 21, 1983.

 

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